Big pay day possible for ex-city clerk in tax flap

Jenifer FrenchPhoto: mlive.com

June 20, 2013 | AP A western Michigan city could owe hundreds of thousands of dollars after the state appeals court ruled in favor a former clerk who was fired in a dispute over a property tax exemption on her home.

Jenifer French was fired as Holland city clerk in 2006 after officials said she illegally claimed a homestead exemption on her Holland home while her husband claimed the same exemption on a home in Douglas.

But the state appeals court ruled Wednesday that French should be reinstated. The court says an Ottawa County judge wrongly threw out an arbitrator's decision that was made in French's favor.

Holland's mayor is upset with the decision. French was paid about $90,000 a year in salary and benefits. The city is considering an appeal to the Supreme Court.